Our adoption agency, Amercian World Adoption Agency (www.awaa.org) has been incredible! The adoption process is complex and lengthy, but our future child is worth it!
We've had lots of questions on the adoption process, so here is our simple explanation of it...
1. Select and apply to adoption agency: We felt led to AWAA off of a recommendation and its reputation with Chinese adoptions!
2. Pick a country to adopt from (China for us!!)
3. Begin Home Study Process (Your home study is the written report by a social worker "assessing your ability to provide a loving home to an orphan, your motivation to adopt internationally, and your expectations of your adopted child. The report includes information about your background, current family life, and how this new child will be integrated into your family. This is designed to be a non-judgmental and fun process!" ~excerpt from AWAA)
4. Begin Dossier Process. (Your dossier is all of your completed paperwork put together to mail overseas. i.e. copies of insurance, police/background checks, recommendations, medical records, marriage and birth certificates, financial records, employment letters, random letters, pictures, biographies, etc. Find a special notary, you'll need them a lot!)
5. Prayerfully Select a Waiting Child. (For China this means specifying what age, gender, mental or physical health issues you are comfortable in considering. China's Waiting Child program allows for a quicker adoption process of older healthy children and younger children with special need. Some children cannot be considered until your paperwork is officially sent to your adoptive country. In China the waiting period for a healthy child now stands at 7.5 years.).
6. Send Complete Home Study to USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) for approval to adopt from a "Hague Adoption Convention Country. (a 1.5-2.5 month process).
7. Certify Your Completed Paperwork through Your County, State, Secretary of State, and Chinese Embassy/Consulate for a certification process.
8. Send Certified Paperwork to Your Adoption Agency & Adoptive Country
9. Continue Adoption Training and Education (We have to spend 20+ hours on training videos plus read 5 assigned books concerning adoption. Assignments vary somewhat between adoption agencies.)
NOTE: Steps 1-9 usually take a combined 6-7 months at least! Sometimes a prayer-filled child selection takes a lot longer!
10. GO and get 'em!! What some refer to as 'gotcha day'...go and pick up your child on a 1-2 week trip!! (Some countries require two trips, but China requires one 2-week trip).
Don't worry! The process is actually a lot more complicated than this! :) But we've had an awesome social worker, Family Coordinator (contact at adoption agency), supportive family and friends, and other adoptive parents to support, encourage, and pray with us along the way!!
Where are we at now? We are at steps 3, 4, 5, & 7 simultaneously (told you it is complicated)! We are praying to be complete with 1-9 by Christmas (we started in May)...but we'll see what the Lord's timing is!
Meanwhile, we look and pray forward to step 10! :)
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